BTW Auditorium Dedication Ceremony Honors Legendary Director Samuel L. Roundtree

By Glen Mason
New Journal and Guide
Arts and Culture Correspondent

NORFOLK

Booker T. Washington High School was established as the Academy of the Arts 20 years ago.

To quote its principal, Matthew Mason, he has never “worked at a school with so much history.” BTW’s historical legacy can be traced from the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN, to Lyon, France, where internationally acclaimed drummer Grover “Sangoma” Everett is regarded as one of the world’s top jazz drummers.

Then there is theatre. Case in point is the recent naming of the school’s auditorium to the Samuel L. Roundtree Theatre last Tuesday. The Theatre Program and Academy of the Arts, developed under the guidance of teacher, director, and choreographer Samuel L. Roundtree, elevated the drama program at Booker T. from 1984 to 1991.

It was an emotional evening of testimony that included tributes, performances and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, creating a 78th birthday that’s truly memorable.

“Mr. Roundtree expected your best and did not allow any excuses from any of us,” said Hermione Patrick, a former BTW student and Thespian.

“Excuses are tools of the incompetent and built on monuments of nothingness, those who practice them and their uses are seldom capable of anything else he would say,” Patrick added. “He taught us the Stanislavski method of acting and choreography from the gods!”

Roundtree’s student troupes sold out performances of “The Hunted Forest,” “The Me Nobody Knows,” “Tom Sawyer,” “The Cotton Club Revue,” “Grease,” “The AMEN Corner,” and a “spectacular” production of “The Wiz.” Two one-act plays, “Mirrors” and “The Girl with the Funny Nose,” won first place at the VHSL’s One-Act Play Competition under Mr. Roundtree’s direction.

A former student, now herself an educator  of students, told the audience that Roundtree paid for “countless pairs of character shoes for us that we could not afford, gave rides in his car to kids whose parents didn’t have one, and let us hide out in his classroom when we didn’t have anywhere else to go. He made us believe that we could actually go out and make a living performing, if that was our goal after graduation.”

Even in his youth, Roundtree showed a passion for musicals, dance and theatre. It influenced his educational pursuits. His interest in the performing arts manifested itself at John F. Kennedy High School in Suffolk, Norfolk State University, a stint at Hampton University, and five years dancing and studying with the great Alvin Ailey in New York City.

With the support of the principal, Cynthia Watson, recognized as the 2005 Administrator of the Year, Roundtree revised BTW’s winning tradition in drama and debating, which was established in the old Virginia Inter-scholastic Association modern dance and theatre competitions.

“Sam Roundtree impacted the lives of so many children with witty, intellectual, crafty expertise and love for the Arts,” said Cynthia Watson, now an educational consultant and BTW’s principal during much of Roundtree’s tenure there.  “Our love for the children of BTW provided Sam the opportunity to share his craft and make a difference academically and artistically.”